Jeg er fra Sydsiden af Chicago, og i 7. klasse havde jeg en veninde der hed Jenny, som boede på Sydvestsiden af Chicago. Jenny var hvid, og hvis du kender noget til de inddelte befolkningsstatistikker af Chicago, ved du, at der ikke er ret mange sorte mennesker, på Sydvestsiden af Chicago. Men Jenny var min ven Indimellem legede vi sammen efter skole og i weekenderne. En dag, hjemme i hendes stue talte vi om det 13-årige taler om, og Jenny's lillesøster, Rosie, var der også. Hun sad bag mig og legede lidt med mit hår, og jeg tænkte ikke over hvad hun lavede. Men under en pause i samtalen, prikkede Rosie mig på skulderen. Hun sagde: "Må jeg spørge dig om noget?"
I am from the South Side of Chicago, and in seventh grade, I had a best friend named Jenny who lived on the Southwest Side of Chicago. Jenny was white, and if you know anything about the segregated demographics of Chicago, you know that there are not too many black people who live on the Southwest Side of Chicago. But Jenny was my girl and so we would hang out every so often after school and on the weekends. And so one day we were hanging out in her living room, talking about 13-year-old things, and Jenny's little sister Rosie was in the room with us, and she was sitting behind me just kind of playing in my hair, and I wasn't thinking too much about what she was doing. But at a pause in the conversation, Rosie tapped me on the shoulder. She said, "Can I ask you a question?"
Jeg sagde: "Ja, Rosie. Selvfølgelig."
I said, "Yeah, Rosie. Sure."
"Er du sort?"
"Are you black?"
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Rummet frøs til is. Stilhed. Jenny og Rosie's mor var ikke særlig langt væk. Hun var i køkkenet, og overhørte samtalen, og hun var forarget. Hun sagde: "Rosie! Det må du da ikke spørge om." Og Jenny som var min ven, blev rigtig flov. Jeg havde lidt ondt af hende, men jeg var faktisk ikke fornærmet. Jeg tænkte, at det ikke var Rosie's skyld at hun i sine 10 korte år på jorden, bosiddende på Sydvestsiden af Chicago, ikke var 100% sikker på, hvordan en sort person ser ud. Det er fair. Men hvad der var mere overraskende for mig, var at i al den tid jeg var sammen med Jenny og Rosie's familie - var sammen med dem, legede med dem, og rørte ved dem - var det først da Rosie puttede sine hænder i mit hår, at hun tænkte på at spørge, om jeg var sort. Det var første gang jeg indså, hvor stor en rolle mit hår's tekstur spillede i opfattelsen af min etnicitet, og også hvilken væsentlig rolle det havde i samfundets øjne.
The room froze. Silence. Jenny and Rosie's mom was not too far away. She was in the kitchen and she overheard the conversation, and she was mortified. She said, "Rosie! You can't ask people questions like that." And Jenny was my friend, and I know she was really embarrassed. I felt kind of bad for her, but actually I was not offended. I figured it wasn't Rosie's fault that in her 10 short years on this earth, living on the Southwest Side of Chicago, she wasn't 100 percent sure what a black person looked like. That's fair. But what was more surprising to me was, in all of this time I had spent with Jenny and Rosie's family -- hanging out with them, playing with them, even physically interacting with them -- it was not until Rosie put her hands in my hair that she thought to ask me if I was black. That was the first time I would realize how big of a role the texture of my hair played in confirming my ethnicity, but also that it would play a key role in how I'm viewed by others in society.
Garrett A. Morgan og Madame CJ Walker var pionerer i industrien for hår- og skønheds- pleje i det tidlige 1900-tal. De er bedst kendt som opfindere af kemisk-baseret hår-creme og glattejern, som var designet til, permanent eller semipermanent, at ændre sort hår's tekstur. Ofte, når vi tænker på de sortes historie i Amerika handler det om de afskyelige handlinger og utallige overgreb, som farvede mennesker oplevede, på grund af vores hudfarve, men sandheden er, at efter Den Amerikanske Borgerkrig, var det afroamerikanske mænd og kvinders hår, der blev det mest velkendte "særpræg" i kategoriseringen af afrikanere, mere end hudfarven. Så før de blev almindelige i hårplejens milliard-industri, handlede vores afhængighed af redskaber og produkter, såsom hår-relaxere og den glattende kam, mere om vores overlevelse og fremskridt som race i postslaveriets Amerika.
Garrett A. Morgan and Madame CJ Walker were pioneers of the black hair-care and beauty industry in the early 1900s. They're best known as the inventors of chemically-based hair creams and heat straightening tools designed to permanently, or semipermanently, alter the texture of black hair. Oftentimes when we think about the history of blacks in America, we think about the heinous acts and numerous injustices that we experienced as people of color because of the color of our skin, when in fact, in post-Civil War America, it was the hair of an African-American male or female that was known as the most "telling feature" of Negro status, more so than the color of the skin. And so before they were staples of the multibillion-dollar hair-care industry, our dependency on tools and products, like the hair relaxer and the pressing comb, were more about our survival and advancement as a race in postslavery America.
Gennem årene blev vi mere vant til denne tanke om, at glattere og længere hår betød bedre og mere smuk. Vi blev kulturelt fikseret af denne ide om, hvad vi kan lide at kalde... "godt hår". Det betyder i bund og grund at: jo løsere strukturen i krøllerne er, des bedre er håret. Og vi lod disse institutionaliserede ideer forme en falskt følelse af hierarki, der fastlagde, hvad man mente var god hår-kvalitet og hvad der ikke var. Hvad værre er: vi lader disse falske ideologier invadere opfattelsen af os selv, og de fortsætter med at inficere vores kulturelle identitet som Afro-Amerikanske kvinder i dag.
Over the years, we grew accustomed to this idea that straighter and longer hair meant better and more beautiful. We became culturally obsessed with this idea of having what we like to call ... "good hair." This essentially means: the looser the curl pattern, the better the hair. And we let these institutionalized ideas form a false sense of hierarchy that would determine what was considered a good grade of hair and what was not. What's worse is that we let these false ideologies invade our perception of ourselves, and they still continue to infect our cultural identity as African-American women today.
Så hvad gjorde vi? Vi tog til frisørsalon hver 6. eller 8. uge, uden undtagelse, for at udsætte vores hovedbund for hårde udglattende kemikalier, startende i en meget ung alder - nogle gange fra 8, 10 år - som resulterede i hårtab, skaldede pletter, endda brandsår i hovedbunden. Vi steger vores hår i temperaturer op til 230 grader eller mere næsten dagligt, for at vedligeholde det glatte look. Eller vi dækker vores hår med parykker og fletninger, og lader kun hårrødderne ånde privat derhjemme, hvor ingen ved, hvad der virkelig foregår derunder.
So what did we do? We went to the hair salon every six to eight weeks, without fail, to subject our scalps to harsh straightening chemicals beginning at a very young age -- sometimes eight, 10 -- that would result in hair loss, bald spots, sometimes even burns on the scalp. We fry our hair at temperatures of 450 degrees Fahrenheit or higher almost daily, to maintain the straight look. Or we simply cover our hair up with wigs and weaves, only to let our roots breathe in private where no one knows what's really going on under there.
Vi adopterede disse skikke i vores samfund, så det er ikke underligt, at nutidens typiske ideal af en professionel sort kvinde, især i erhvervslivet i Amerika, ofte ser sådan her ud, snarere end sådan her. Og hun ser helt sikkert ikke sådan her ud.
We adopted these practices in our own communities, and so it's no wonder why today the typical ideal vision of a professional black woman, especially in corporate America, tends to look like this, rather than like this. And she certainly doesn't look like this.
I september i år, afgjorde en forbundsdomstol, at det er lovligt for en virksomhed at diskriminere i ansættelse af en medarbejder, i forhold til om hun eller han har dreadlocks. I denne sag, siger HR lederen i Mobile, Alabama, til offentligheden, "Jeg siger ikke, at jeres er uglet, men... I ved godt, hvad jeg snakker om." Hvad snakkede hun om her? Mente hun, at de var grimme? Eller måske, at de var en smule for Afro-centriske og så for pro-sort ud til hendes smag. Det handler måske ikke om Afro-centrisme, og måske mere om at være for "urban" til de professionelle rammer. Måske bekymrede det hende at, de ser "skræmmende" ud, og ville skræmme klienter og kundebase. Alle disse ord knyttes alt for ofte til stigmaet forbundet med naturlig hårstil. Og dette... bliver nødt til at ændre sig.
In September of this year, a federal court ruled it lawful for a company to discriminate against hiring an employee based on if she or he wears dreadlocks. In the case, the hiring manager in Mobile, Alabama is on record as saying, "I'm not saying yours are messy, but ... you know what I'm talking about." Well, what was she talking about? Did she think that they were ugly? Or maybe they were just a little too Afrocentric and pro-black-looking for her taste. Or maybe it's not about Afrocentricity, and it's more just about it being a little too "urban" for the professional setting. Perhaps she had a genuine concern in that they looked "scary" and that they would intimidate the clients and their customer base. All of these words are ones that are too often associated with the stigma attached to natural hairstyles. And this ... this has got to change.
I 2013, blev en artikel udgivet af Deloitte Leadership Center for Inclusion, som studerede 3000 individer i administrative lederstillinger, ift. begrebet tilpasning på arbejdspladser baseret på udseende, tilskyndelse, tilknytning og forbindelse. I forbindelse med tilpasning relateret til udseende, viste undersøgelsen, at 67% af farvede kvinder tilpasser sig på arbejdspladsen grundet deres udseende. Ud af alle de der erkendte at tilpasse deres udseende, sagde 82%, at det var lidt eller utroligt vigtigt for dem at gøre dette, af hensyn til karrieren.
In 2013, a white paper published by the Deloitte Leadership Center for Inclusion, studied 3,000 individuals in executive leadership roles on the concept of covering in the workplace based on appearance, advocacy, affiliation and association. When thinking about appearance-based covering, the study showed that 67 percent of women of color cover in the workplace based on their appearance. Of the total respondents who admitted to appearance-based covering, 82 percent said that it was somewhat to extremely important for them to do so for their professional advancement.
Dette er Ursula Burns. Hun er den første kvindelige Afro-Amerikanske CEO i et Fortune 500 - nemlig Xerox. Hun er kendt for sit signatur-look, det, du ser her. Et kort, nydeligt trimmet, vel-manicureret Afro. Fru Burns er lidt det, vi kalder en "naturlig pige". Og hun baner vejen og viser, hvad der muligt for Afro-Amerikanske kvinder, som ønsker at gøre karriere, men stadig ønsker en naturlig hårstil.
Now, this is Ursula Burns. She is the first African-American female CEO of a Fortune 500 company -- of Xerox. She's known by her signature look, the one that you see here. A short, nicely trimmed, well-manicured Afro. Ms. Burns is what we like to call a "natural girl." And she is paving the way and showing what's possible for African-American women seeking to climb the corporate ladder, but still wishing to wear natural hairstyles.
Men idag vælger størstedelen af de Afro-Amerikanske kvinder, vi ser op til som ledere, ikoner og rollemodeller, stadig at glatte håret. Så, måske er det, fordi de gerne vil - det er, hvad de faktisk føler sig bedst tilpas med - men måske - og jeg vil vædde på det - en del af dem følte, at de var nødt til det, for at nå det niveau af success, de har opnået idag.
But today the majority of African-American women who we still look to as leaders, icons and role models, still opt for a straight-hair look. Now, maybe it's because they want to -- this is authentically how they feel best -- but maybe -- and I bet -- a part of them felt like they had to in order to reach the level of success that they have attained today.
Der er en naturlig hårbevægelse, som fejer gennem landet, også steder som Europa. Milllioner af kvinder udforsker, betydningen af at have naturlig hår, og de klipper hårspidser der er skadet gennem mange år for at genoprette naturlige krøller. Jeg ved det, fordi jeg har været fortaler og ambassadør for bevægelsen, i omkring tre år. Efter 27 år med overdrevet varme og hårde kemikalier, var mit hår begyndt at vise tegn på ekstrem slid. Det var ved at falde af, det var ved at blive tyndt, det så ekstremt tørt og skrøbeligt ud. Alle de års jagt efter et konventionel billede af skønhed, som vi så tidligere, var begyndt at trække spor. Jeg ønskede at gøre noget ved det, så jeg startede, hvad jeg kalder "Drop Varme Udfordringen", hvor jeg ikke bruger glattejern o.lign. i mit hår i seks måneder. Og som en god årgang-0'er, dokumenterede jeg det på sociale medier.
There is a natural hair movement that is sweeping the country and also in some places in Europe. Millions of women are exploring what it means to transition to natural hair, and they're cutting off years and years of dry, damaged ends in order to restore their natural curl pattern. I know because I have been an advocate and an ambassador for this movement for roughly the last three years. After 27 years of excessive heat and harsh chemicals, my hair was beginning to show extreme signs of wear and tear. It was breaking off, it was thinning, looking just extremely dry and brittle. All those years of chasing that conventional image of beauty that we saw earlier was finally beginning to take its toll. I wanted to do something about it, and so I started what I called the "No Heat Challenge," where I would refrain from using heat styling tools on my hair for six months. And like a good millennial, I documented it on social media.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Jeg dokumenterede, selvom jeg modvilligt klippede tre til fire tommer af mit elskede hår. Jeg dokumenterede, selvom jeg kæmpede med at mestre naturlige frisyrer, også mens jeg kæmpede med at favne dem og mene, at de faktisk så godt ud. Og jeg dokumenterede hvordan mit hår's struktur langsomt ændre sig.
I documented as I reluctantly cut off three to four inches of my beloved hair. I documented as I struggled to master these natural hairstyles, and also as I struggled to embrace them and think that they actually looked good. And I documented as my hair texture slowly began to change.
Ved at dele denne rejse åbent, lærte jeg, at jeg ikke var den eneste kvinde, som gennemgik dette, at der faktisk var tusinder af kvinder, som længtes efter det samme. De kontaktede mig, og sagde: "Cheyenne, hvordan fik du denne naturlige hårstil, som jeg så dig med her den anden dag? Hvilke nye produkter benytter du, som måske er bedre for mit hår's struktur, nu hvor det ændrer sig?" Eller "hvilke rutiner er der for naturlig hår, som jeg burde starte for at genoprette hårets balance?" Men jeg fandt også ud af, at et stort antal kvinder, var ekstremt tøvende, overfor det første skridt, fordi de var lammet af skræk. Frygt for det ukendte - hvordan vil de se ud nu? Hvad vil de synes om deres naturlige hårstil? Og mest vigtigt, hvordan vil andre se dem?
By sharing this journey openly, I learned that I was not the only woman going through this and that in fact there were thousands and thousands of other women who were longing to do the same. So they would reach out to me and they would say, "Cheyenne, how did you do that natural hairstyle that I saw you with the other day? What new products have you started using that might be a little better for my hair texture as it begins to change?" Or, "What are some of the natural hair routines that I should begin to adopt to slowly restore the health of my hair?" But I also found that there were a large number of women who were extremely hesitant to take that first step because they were paralyzed by fear. Fear of the unknown -- what would they now look like? How would they feel about themselves with these natural hairstyles? And most importantly to them, how would others view them?
Gennem de seneste tre år, og gennem utallige samtaler med mine venner, og med fremmede rundt i verden, lærte jeg nogle vigtige ting om, hvordan Afro-Amerikanske kvinder identificerer sig med deres hår. Når jeg tænker tilbage på den HR leder fra Mobile, Alabama, ville jeg sige: "Nej, faktisk ikke. Vi ved ikke, hvad du snakker om." Men her er nogle ting, som vi ved. Vi ved, at når sorte kvinder favner deres naturlige hår med åbne arme, hjælper det med at løsne op for generationers indlæring om, at sort i dets naturlige form ikke er smukt, eller er noget, som skal gemmes væk eller dækkes til. Vi ved, at sorte kvinder udtrykker deres individualitet og får følelsen af styrke ved ofte at forsøge sig med en ny hårstil. Og vi ved også, at når vi inviteres til at have naturlig hår på arbejdspladsen, bekræfter det os i, at vi er værdsat, og dette hjælper os til at udfolde os og udvikle os professionelt.
Over the last three years of having numerous conversations with friends of mine and also complete strangers from around the world, I learned some really important things about how African-American women identify with their hair. And so when I think back to that hiring manager in Mobile, Alabama, I'd say, "Actually, no. We don't know what you're talking about." But here are some things that we do know. We know that when black women embrace their love for their natural hair, it helps to undo generations of teaching that black in its natural state is not beautiful, or something to be hidden or covered up. We know that black women express their individuality and experience feelings of empowerment by experimenting with different hairstyles regularly. And we also know that when we're invited to wear our natural hair in the workplace, it reinforces that we are uniquely valued and thus helps us to flourish and advance professionally.
Jeg giver Jer dette: I en tid med racisme og social spænding, Favn denne bevægelse, og andre som på samme vis, hjælper os med at sprænge rammerne for status quo. Når du ser en kvinde med fletninger eller lokker ned at ryggen, eller du ser din kollega, der ikke længere glatter sit hår, så lad være med at se beundrende på hende, og spørge om du må røre ved det -
I leave you with this. In a time of racial and social tension, embracing this movement and others like this help us to rise above the confines of the status quo. So when you see a woman with braids or locks draping down her back, or you notice your colleague who has stopped straightening her hair to work, do not simply approach her and admire and ask her if you can touch it --
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Værdsæt hende oprigtigt. Ros hende. Hvad fanden, giv hende en high-five, hvis det er, hvad du har lyst til. Fordi - det er mere end bare et hårstil. Det handler om at elske sig selv og at have selvværd. Det handler om, at være modig nok, til ikke at bukke under for pres fra andres forventninger. Og det handler om bevidst at afvige fra normen, og vide at den ikke definerer, hvem vi er, men blot viser, hvem vi er.
Really appreciate her. Applaud her. Heck, even high-five her if that's what you feel so inclined to do. Because this -- this is more than about a hairstyle. It's about self-love and self-worth. It's about being brave enough not to fold under the pressure of others' expectations. And about knowing that making the decision to stray from the norm does not define who we are, but it simply reveals who we are.
Til sidst, at være modig er lettere, når vi kan regne med medfølelse fra andre. Så efter idag, håber jeg, at vi kan regne med jer.
And finally, being brave is easier when we can count on the compassion of others. So after today, I certainly hope that we can count on you.
Tak.
Thank you.
(Bifald)
(Applause)